Animal-trap.



No. 802,858. PATENTED OCT. 24, 1905. J. M. HARRIS.

ANIMAL TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2, 1904.

3 SHEETS -SHEBT 1.

No. 802,858. PATENTED OCT. 24, 1905. J. M. HARRIS.

ANIMAL TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED JUNEZ,1904.

3 SHEETSSHEBT Z.

No. 802,858. PATENTED OCT. 24;, 1905. J. M. HARRIS.

ANIMAL TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE-2, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHIIET 3.

EHEJ.

wit/new wfoz 1 XwJ-MJZ 7/1/ 2/011.

D STATES PATENT oFFion.

JAMES M. HARRIS, OF DESOTO, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO MYRON D. WEAVER,DESOTO, MISSOURI.

ANIMAL-TRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 1905.

Application filed June 2, 1904. Serial No. 210,856-

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES M. HARRIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Desoto, in the county of Jefferson, State of Missouri, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Animal-Traps; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such. as will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to combined animal traps and loaders, and has forits object to provide a device of this nature which may be used toconfine animals during the process of ringing or branding and which mayalso be used for loading animals into cars or vehicles.

In the drawings forming a portion of the specification, and in whichlike numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views,Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device used as a loader. Fig. 2 isa view of the device when not in use. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of thedevice as it is arranged for the operation of ringing or branding. Fig.4 is an end view. Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a pair of uprights 6, tothe lower portion of which are hinged wings 7 and 8, which are movableto extend rearwardly from the uprights and parallel to each to form apassage 9, communicating with the space be tween the uprights, or toextend outwardly in opposite direction in the plane occupied by theuprights to form a portion of the fence of a barnyard or otherinclosure, as shown in Fig. 2.

The uprights 6 are provided with a plurality of perforations 10, whichare arranged in a line longitudinally thereof, and disposed against theforward faces of the uprights is a cross-piece 11, having perforations12 in its ends, which are registered with a pair of the perforations 10,and engaged with the registering perforations are bolts 13. It is thuspossible by engagement of the bolts with the different pairs ofperforations 10 to shift the cross-piece 1.1 vertically. The lowermostperforations 10 are somewhat above the lower ends of the uprights 6, andsecured at its ends to the uprights adjacent to their lower ends is across-piece 14, having an areshaped recess 15 in its upper edge, andpivoted to one of the uprights above the crosspiece 14 is a movablemember 16, having an arc-shaped recess 17 in its lower edge, which liesabove the recess 15, and the member 16 is movable upon its pivot to varythe dis' tance between the bottoms of the recesses.

Secured at its lower end to one end of the member 14 and spaced at itsupper end from the adjacent upright 6 by means of a block 18 is a slat19, which extends above the member 14 to form a guideway 20 between itand the adjacent upright 6, and in this guideway is disposed the freeend of the member 16, which extends beyond the slat and the upright andis provided with a handle 21.

A runway 22 is provided, and when the device is used as a stock-loaderit is disposed with one of its ends upon the cross-piece 11. and isprovided with a cleat 23, which projects downwardly and forwardly of thecrosspiece to hold the runway in place. The runway 22 extends downwardlyand rearwardly between the wings 7 and 8 and rests with its lower end 24against the ground and lies with its side edges beneath cleats 25, whichare secured to the inner faces of the wings 7 and 8. The upper end ofthe runway extends above the wings 7 and 8, and secured to these wingsare diagonal members 26, which lie at the sides of the runway above thewings to form walls therefor and are hinged at their upper ends to theuprights 10.

Pivoted to the upper ends of the uprights 6 at one end and at theremaining ends to the wings 7 and 8 are supporting-rods 27, and therunway 22 is provided with transverse cleats 28 to facilitate thepassage of the animals thereover.

In loading the animals into a vehicle or car the latter is brought intoposition at the upper end of the runway 22, and the runway is adjustedto bring its upper end into position to permit of the passage of theanimals therefrom to the vehicle, after which the animals are driven upthe runway into the vehicle or car. At their rearward ends the wings areprovided with a detachable connecting member 29, by which they. are heldtogether.

l/Vhen used for ringing or branding, the runway 22 is raised at itslower end and is supported by a bar 30, which rests upon the upper edgesof the wings, and the animals are then driven into the passage betweenthe wings and below the runway, the member 16 having been previouslyraised, and the head of one of the animals is caused to project throughthe recesses 15 and 17, after which the member 16 is lowered to confinethe neck of the animal within the recesses, the members 16 being held inthis position by means of a pin 31, which is engaged in a pair ofalining perforations 32 in the slat 19 and the adjacent upright 6, thepin bearing against the upper edge of the member 16. The slat 19 and theupright 6 are provided with a plurality of these alining perforations32, so that the member 1 6 may be held at different points. When theanimal has been confined as described above, the operation of ringing orbranding may be easily performed, after which the member 16 may beremoved to release the animal.

When not in use, the wings 7 and 8 may be disconnected at their freeends and may be moved upon their hinges, as described above, to form aportion of a fence.

In practice modifications of the specific construction shown may bemade, and any suitable materials and proportions may be used for thevarious parts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is- 1. An animal-trap comprising spaced uprights, wingshinged to one end of said uprights for movement to lie parallel to eachother to form a passage therebetween or to extend in oppositedirections, each of said wings having an upwardly-directed connectionhingedly connected with the corresponding uprights, animal-confiningmechanism connected to and disposed between the uprights andcommunicating with the passage between the wings, a cover removablydisposed at one end between the uprights and supported therebetween, andabove the animal-confining mechanism and disposed for movement of itsother end into and out of engagement with the ground between the wings.

2. A portable animal trap comprising spaced uprights, wings hinged tothe uprights and lying normally parallel to each other to form apassage, a cross-piece secured at its ends to the uprights adjacent totheir lower ends, said cross-piece having a recess in its upper edge, aslat secured at one end to one end of the cross-piece and extendingthereabove and in spaced relation to the adjacent upright, a blocksecured between the slat and said upright, a member pivoted to the otherupright at one end and lying with its remaining end within the spacebetween the slat and the first mentioned upright, said member having arecess in its lower end for coopera tion with the recess of thecross-piece, said member being movable upon its pivot to ward and awayfrom the cross-piece, a second cross-piece secured at its ends to theuprights above the pivoted member, a top removably disposed at one endupon the second cross-piece, and a bar disposed upon the upper edges ofthe wings adjacent to their free ends, said bar receiving the topthereupon.

3. A portable animal trap comprising spaced uprights, wings hinged atone end to the uprights for movement to lie parallel to each other toform a passage therebetween or to extend in opposite directions,animalconfining mechanism connected to and disposed between the uprightsand communicating with the passage between the wings, a cover removablydisposed at one end be tween the uprights and supported therebetween andabove the animal-confining mechanism and disposed for movement of itsother end into and out of engagement with the ground between the wings.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES M. HARRIS. Witnesses:

F. H. BLAOKMAN,

M. D. V OSBURG.

